Then he said, still with his face toward the mountain and the valley: "I may be mistaken, Johnny, but I think I heard--a rifle-shot!" For a full minute they listened.
"It seemed off there," said MacDonald, pointing to the south.

"I guess we'd better get back to camp, Johnny." He started ahead of them, and Aldous followed as swiftly as he could with Joanne.

She was panting with excitement, but she asked no questions.
MacDonald began to spring more quickly from rock to rock; over the level spaces he began to run.

He reached the edge of the plain four or five hundred yards in advance of them, and was scanning the valley through his telescope when they came up.
"They're not on this side," he said.

"They're comin' up the other leg of the valley, Johnny.